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The report evaluates four sanitation configurations in Montero, Bolivia, finding that while the city's utility cooperative COSMOL successfully manages a mix of centralized and decentralized systems, significant gaps in governance, technical optimization, and public awareness persist. It highlights that urine-diverting dry toilets (UDDTs) offer the highest environmental potential and that local farmers are open to using treated sanitation by-products as fertilizers, provided quality and price are managed. However, household adoption of non-sewered systems is hindered by perceptions of odors and a view of such technologies as merely transitional.

The report evaluates four sanitation system configurations in Montero, Bolivia, finding that while the utility COSMOL has successfully implemented mixed services, significant gaps remain in environmental sustainability and governance. It highlights that minor technical optimizations can reduce health and environmental risks across all systems, with urine-diverting dry toilets (UDDTs) offering the highest potential for impact reduction. While local farmers show interest in sanitation-derived fertilizers, household acceptance of on-site systems is hindered by concerns over odors and vectors. The report concludes that upscaling sustainable sanitation requires stronger collaboration between local authorities and COSMOL, new policy instruments, and a long-term strategic vision.

The briefing examines the limitations of current water management frameworks, such as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and the water-energy-food nexus, in addressing water teleconnections. Using case studies from Colombia and Southeast Asia, it demonstrates how agricultural exports (coffee and rice) transfer 'virtual water' across borders, creating dependencies that are not captured by traditional basin-level planning. The author contends that a multi-scale approach is necessary to integrate local challenges with regional and global economic connections.

The document explores strategic litigation as a tool to bridge the gap between state-led anti-corruption efforts and environmental governance. It identifies three main trends: targeting corruption enforcement, improving NRM governance, and addressing transnational sustainability. While it can drive transparency and accountability, the author warns of risks including high costs, potential for abuse via SLAPP suits, and the challenge of enforcing court rulings in weak institutional settings.

The report examines how agricultural expansion and the proliferation of decentralized water storage, such as 'atajados' (artificial ponds), are altering the hydrologic balance in Bolivia's Chiquitano dry forest. Using remote sensing and field verification, researchers identified significant volumes of unmapped surface water storage and increasing groundwater extraction, which may reduce baseflows and threaten downstream ecosystems. The document argues that current hydrologic models lack this decentralized data and recommends improved regulation and monitoring of water use to support long-term planning.

The policy brief argues that most recovery packages in Latin America and the Caribbean are 'inertial' and environmentally negative, prioritizing short-term economic growth over long-term climate sustainability. It highlights a significant gap between national climate commitments (NDCs) and actual recovery spending, noting a trend toward fossil fuel subsidies and increased deforestation. The document recommends integrating social justice, gender equity, and systemic resilience into recovery plans, while urging governments to adopt green taxonomies and align financial incentives with the 1.5°C goal.

The document outlines a strategic framework for addressing corruption in biodiversity conservation, emphasizing that effective interventions must be systemic, context-specific, and grounded in political economy analysis rather than purely technical solutions.

The document outlines a systemic, context-specific approach to addressing corruption in biodiversity conservation, emphasizing political economy analysis and risk management over simple technical fixes.

The report analyzes the 2020-2021 outputs of seven UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs), noting a significant increase in climate-related references despite COVID-19 disruptions. It highlights a shift toward questioning developed nations on mitigation and fossil fuel extraction, alongside a consistent focus on adaptation and the participation of vulnerable groups. The document also examines key individual communications, such as Teitiota v. New Zealand and Sacchi et al. v. Argentina et al., which establish precedents for climate-induced human rights violations and extraterritorial jurisdiction.

The document defines 'critical minerals' as raw materials essential for renewable energy and clean technology, noting that criticality is context-specific and varies by country. It identifies two primary perspectives on criticality: security and control of supply (emphasized by the US, EU, and Japan) and value capture (emphasized by China, Australia, and Canada). The guide highlights the role of rare earth elements (REEs) in permanent magnets and lists key demand drivers such as e-mobility and decarbonization. It also discusses supply sources, including the significant role of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) for cobalt and tantalum, and emerging sources like deep-seabed mining. Finally, it outlines the macroeconomic and geopolitical risks associated with mineral dependency, such as 'Dutch disease' and supply chain concentration.

The document provides a comprehensive overview of critical minerals, which are essential for renewable energy and low-carbon technologies. It distinguishes between two primary perspectives on criticality: supply security (emphasized by the US, EU, and Japan) and value capture (emphasized by China, Australia, and Canada). The text details the importance of rare earth elements, the drivers of demand—such as electric mobility and decarbonization—and the role of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). It also highlights the significant increase in mineral requirements for electric vehicles and the global demand projections for 2050, while warning governments about supply risks, macroeconomic volatility, and the 'Dutch disease'.

The document provides a comprehensive overview of critical minerals, which are essential for clean energy technologies and a low-carbon future. It explains that 'criticality' is context-dependent, defined either by supply security (import dependence) or strategic valuation (leveraging abundance). The text highlights the specific role of rare earth elements (REEs), the massive increase in mineral demand for electric vehicles and decarbonization, and the growing importance of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) alongside emerging sources like deep-sea mining and phytomining. It concludes by weighing the economic opportunities of value chain development against risks such as production concentration, price volatility, and the 'Dutch disease'.

This report section analyzes the increasing vulnerability of the urban poor to extreme heat across 54 high-impact countries in 2022, highlighting a rise in the population at high risk due to lack of access to cooling.

This report section analyzes the growth of the rural poor population lacking access to cooling across 54 high-impact countries in 2022, highlighting the role of the COVID-19 pandemic in increasing extreme poverty despite improvements in electricity access.

The case study emphasizes that because mining is a significant water user and potential contaminant source, governance must occur at the watershed scale rather than the individual user level. It highlights that climate change increases risks to water quality and availability through rainfall variability and extreme weather. The text notes that while legal frameworks are essential, challenges remain regarding the ownership of water as a common resource, mentioning an emerging trend of granting legal rights to nature in countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, India, and New Zealand. Specifically, Mongolia and the Antofagasta region of Chile are identified as jurisdictions that have implemented watershed-level management frameworks to balance mining's economic importance with water demands in arid environments.

Friends of the Earth International highlights a global rise in authoritarianism and neoliberal economic expansion that has increased violence against environmental defenders, citing 227 deadly attacks in 2020 alone. The organization details its support for specific struggles, including the Garifuna people in Honduras facing land grabbing, social movements in Colombia resisting neoliberalism, Palestinians fighting for food sovereignty under Israeli occupation, and fishing communities in Mozambique affected by Total's LNG project. The document advocates for national protections for defenders and a binding UN treaty to hold multinational corporations accountable for human rights and environmental violations.

The 2021 Plan Director de la Cuenca del Río Tupiza (PDCRT) updates the 2018 plan to integrate climate change projections, sustainable sanitation, and robust decision-making tools. The plan identifies critical vulnerabilities in water access, irrigation, and mining impacts, proposing eight strategic lines of action with a total estimated investment of BOB 160,472,859 over a five-year horizon. Key findings include a projected reduction in annual river flow of up to 38% by 2050 under RCP 8.5 and significant gaps in sanitation, where 58% of inhabitants in 20 of the 24 studied communities practice open defecation.

The document argues that the lack of transparency regarding beneficial owners—the individuals exercising ultimate effective control over fishing vessels and facilities—is a primary enabler of corruption and IUU fishing. It details how 'flags of convenience' (FoCs), shell companies, and opaque joint ventures allow bad actors to evade sanctions, launder money, and engage in human rights abuses. The author highlights specific cases, such as the 'Fishrot' scandal in Namibia and the use of Chinese processing facilities to hide North Korean labor. To address these issues, the briefing recommends that governments implement public beneficial ownership registries, verify disclosed data, and that major market states like the US, EU, and Japan make beneficial ownership transparency a condition for seafood import access.

The report outlines findings from several IAI Small Grants Programme projects. Key highlights include the loss of carbon retention in the Amazon due to deforestation, the identification of a complex 'water crisis' in border regions of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, and the development of predictive models for the Paraná River basin to balance hydroelectric energy needs with ecosystem services. It also emphasizes the role of co-production of knowledge and participatory governance in enhancing community adaptation to global environmental change across countries including Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay.

The report outlines systemic barriers to gridless services, emphasizing that failures often stem from a lack of understanding of user needs, regulatory gaps, and financial instability rather than technical performance.